Military
by dark1408
Summary: AUOOC Duty and mission before anything. Emotions, thrown away. Relationships, banned. SasuSaku rated M for language
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Naruto. 'nuff said._

_'Military' did not come from me, and the original idea came from _CrAzY-SiLLy-Me/shadowofdeath90.

* * *

**Military**

**Chapter 1**

17 years old.

He was only 17 when he reached the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel. He was an Uchiha.

They called the Uchiha clan, geniuses.

-

-

18 years old, a Lieutenant Colonel under General Hatake Kakashi. Caretaker and supervisor ever since the young Uchiha step foot into the military.

He was taught to defend the country and the people.

Duty came first before anything else.

Emotions, thrown away.

Relationships, banned.

He **didn't** care. Defending the country, eliminating threats was _all_ that matters.

Or so he thought.

-

-

Cold onyx eyes stared at the blonde haired Marshal sitting at her desk in front of him. The young teen, no older than 18 stood tall and proud, not flinching even when his superior sent him a warning look. His eyes betrayed nothing, and showed no emotions. He was the best here, showing nothing but loyalty and devotion to his job. Until now.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The blonde haired woman began. "You are, no doubt, the best in this very military base, but I've received a very disturbing report concerning you."

The young teen, Uchiha Sasuke said nothing. If he had panicked, there was no evidence in his facial expression. If he was ashamed, his face remained motionless. Years of harsh training had made the Uchiha void of any emotion, and he simply stood like a statue.

But then somehow, standing there, in the office the Marshal, he couldn't help but resist the urge the smirk at the irony of being founded out after a long period of secrecy.

-

-

2 years ago

14th August

Eight p.m.

It was his turn tonight, to patrol the perimeter of the base, to insure that no one unwanted had sneaked in. He frowned at the thought of this. He was a Major, why did he have to do something a Cadet could do?

Oh right.

The last time they sent a Cadet out to patrol, they ended up missing a few important supplies from their warehouse. Turns out that the Cadet had 'forgot' to patrol that area, resulting in a big opportunity for those fucking military thieves to sneak in.

Damn.

Sasuke really hated his luck. No, scratch that. He hated a blonde fox boy, namely, Uzumaki Naruto. He racked a hand through his raven dark hair and gritted his teeth in annoyance, trust Naruto to make his day worse than it already was.

He had walked into his quarters after duty, fully intending to take a shower and just lie on the bed, sleep off the tiredness he had that whole day. He would never, _ever_ again agree to take over **any** of the Lieutenant's duty to train the Cadets. Never. He had been stupid enough to have been passing by the training area of Lieutenant Yamanaka, a spoiled brat that somehow managed to rise in the ranks to a Lieutenant. She had begged him to oversee her batch of trainees while she ran off to do god-knows-what.

Seeing as he had nothing to do, he stupidly agreed. The following 5 hours were more of a patient test to him than training sessions. Normally, training sessions allowed him to release any stress he had, but this particular session added stress onto him. He mentally cursed himself as he corrected the Cadet's way of handling a rifle for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour. He was also wondering what the hell that blonde woman taught these kids, who didn't even know how to aim.

By the end of the day, Sasuke had dismissed all 30 Cadets grumpily, glaring at any of them who so much as looked his way as they left. The Cadets didn't need to be told twice, and they scurried of as soon as Sasuke uttered the word 'dismiss'.

Now, on to why Naruto made his day worse.

"As Cadets aren't trusted to make a full petrol around the perimeter, the Marshal had sent commands that one of the higher ranks is to petrol tonight." Naruto announced, ignoring the glares and groans from the Lieutenants, Second Lieutenants, Captains and Major in the quarters.

"So!" Naruto shouted, gaining the attention of all the people inside. "Why don't we settle this now and we can all sleep?"

Murmurs of agreement were heard all around, they just wanted to get this over and done. Naruto pulled out a small box with pieces of papers in it. He shook it lightly and showed it to them.

"All of our names are inside this box, I'll draw a name from here and that person has to petrol tonight. Agreed?"

"Troublesome, but at least it'll be fast…" Captain Nara mumbled, agreeing. Everyone else was either too tired to argue or to think of another way, so they too agreed.

Sasuke was lying on his bed, ignoring the commotion around him. Was peace and quiet too much to ask for?

It was.

"Sasuke."

His head snapped up. "What?" he growled.

Naruto grinned as he held up a piece of paper. "Your name. Petrol duty."

Everyone was quiet as the young Uchiha glared at the blonde, each one betting that the Major would probably fly towards Naruto to strangle him. Surprisingly, Sasuke just stood up and grabbed his jacket, sending a death glare to the boy and stomping out of the quarters.

-

-

So that's how he ended up walking in the night, taking the coldness of the harsh winds. Honestly, he should have killed the blonde when they were in training session, and claimed it to be an accident.

Unfortunately, Uchihas don't make mistakes.

He briefly wondered if that could have been an exception.

He sighed and pulled his cap lower to cover his eyes. He never really did like these military caps, but it was compulsory to wear them, so he didn't have a choice. Just as he was about to finish his rounds, something _pink_ caught his eyes.

"_Pink hair?" _he raised an eyebrow. Who in the world would dream of having _pink_ hair?

A girl, age around 15 was sitting by the river that flowed out to the forest from the base. She was wearing a white uniform with the red cross symbol, indicating that she was from the medics. Her eyes were closed and she was humming to herself, arms wrapped around her body to keep the cold winds from attacking her.

He was slightly awed at the beauty of the girl, and if he was any other guy, he would have drooled. But he was Uchiha Sasuke, and Uchiha Sasuke was a human ice cube.

He walked towards the girl and was about to call out to her, when her eyes snapped open. What happened next impressed Sasuke. He wouldn't say he couldn't do it, but to think a medic like her could pull out her shotgun and aimed it at his head in a mere second really was astounding.

It took the girl at least 5 seconds to digest the fact that the person in front of her was a Major, by the stars he held, and that he was the Uchiha genius, as his name was on his tag. She quickly lowered her gun and salute.

"I'm really sorry Major, I thought you were the thieves again…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say. Sasuke nodded.

"I understand." The girl visibly relaxed, but still stood straight. "What are you doing here…?"

The girl blushed. Sasuke thought she was another fan-girl, and was about to just turn away when she spoke. "I was just…remembering something from the past."

Sasuke sighed. "In times this late? Don't." the girl bit her lip. "I'm sorry, we don't have time to spare in the day, so I would just sneak out at night…"

He sighed again. God he was sighing so much today. "Whatever." With that, he turned and walked off, giving no more thought of that weird girl.

-

-

The next time he remembered her, it was the time he was picked for petrol duty again, two days later. He wondered if Naruto really had everyone's names in that stupid box…

She was, yet again at the river, this time wearing a black cloak to blend into the surroundings. He smirked to himself, thinking she must really be good in hiding, as the two previous nights there was no report on a medic being spotted. Or maybe he was just good in seeking. He would stick with the latter.

This time however, not only did he get her name, he didn't think she was a spoiled brat like the other girls he talked to before. Haruno Sakura. Cherry blossoms of spring.

"I am an orphan." She said, as she stared at the river rushing downstream. "I heard from the orphanage I was staying at, that my parents died in line of duty, so I came to join the military as a medic, to help people."

"Why didn't you just become a doctor then? It's safer." Sasuke had replied. Sakura giggled.

"My parents died in war, Uchiha-san. I want to help those in war, it's not the matter of whether its safe or not."

After that, Sasuke had pondered about the things she said. She had asked him why he joined the military, and he said it was because his whole family was in the military for as long as they remember, so it was a kind of duty to the family too.

"I see…but what would _you_ have wanted to do?"

He didn't know.

-

-

A week later, he met her again, but this time, it was not by the river. It was during the sorting of teams. General Hatake had brought her, introducing her as the medic chosen for their team.

"She's a quick learner and directly under Marshal Tsunade. I trust there are no problems?"

Sasuke had not objected, but remained silent as he watched Naruto greet her and self intro, while Sakura giggled at his antics.

_Emotions are not suppose to get in the way, be it in a mission or training. _

He reminded himself every time he saw Sakura laughed and smile, and wondered why a mere girl was affecting his life.

Damn it.

He was trained from young to throw his emotions out the window, kill his own heart if he had to, as long as you don't show emotions. His brother, Uchiha Itachi had been a good example of what he should be like. Void of any emotions, a General by the age of 18, and in the elite forces, Akatsuki.

Itachi was his role model. _His nemesis._

He loved him. _He despised him._

He was what everyone wanted to be. _He wanted to be the exact opposite._

He was the true genius. _Sasuke was his shadow._

In the four man team, he was always the quiet one, the leader when the General was absent, and the one to resolve all problems. Always the calm and collected one, unlike Naruto who always lost his head when something wrong happened, or get angry when someone or himself messed up.

That was then. He had thought of himself like that.

But that was his first mistake, as he was also human.

And because he was only human, he couldn't stay calm forever. He got into his first fight with the medic of his team.

"You should stop that." Sakura had said one day after training.

"Stop what." He replied, downing his water.

"Being so isolated. It hurts to see you pushing everyone away when you need someone."

Something inside him snapped that time. He didn't know why, but it did. He fully regretted it, as the conversation had ended with him stomping off, leaving the medic with tears streaming down her face as she watched him walk away. Naruto and Kakashi had been there, but they were clueless to what had happened, and they could only comfort the pink haired girl.

* * *

_I didn't know why I did it, but I shouted at her. I couldn't control myself, the things she said really made me feel like she was slowly penetrating the walls that I so carefully build up since young, and I would be damned if a girl like her would just crumble it down in a mere second._

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**A/N:** I tried out a different writing style here, similiar to **'Contradicted'** actually...I thought it was interesting to try to write like this...xD I haven't updated **'Walking with the Dead'** yet, but I promise soon... I actually wanted this to be a one-shot, but I guess it has to be a few chapters...but if no one likes it I'll probably take it down. Pls R&R! 


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to those who reviewed! I'm not gonna list them down here, but you know who you are! xD_

**A/N: **Okay…I noticed most of you saying 17 would be too young to be a Lieutenant Colonel for Sasuke. Sorry but I didn't wanna put him as 21, though I think I should have…but now I'm too lazy to edit it soo…bear with it? D: I did do research on the rankings though if it makes people feel better… m( )m

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**Military**

**Chapter 2**

The blonde haired woman glared at the young Lieutenant Colonel in front of her, he neither looked nervous nor frightened as he coolly stared at her hazel eyes, awaiting her next words.

"I am not please with this report, as you can see." She said, pulling out a folder from her drawer. She did not receive any respond from the teen, and it irritated her.

His mentor stood to the side, mentally scolding the Lieutenant Colonel, but Sasuke said nothing and continued to stare at the Marshal.

"But because of your reputation and skills, I am not willing to sacrifice anyone who has proved their worth." She continued, pulling out a few papers from the folder. "So I'll give you a choice, to choose…"

Sasuke blinked. "To…choose?"

-

-

2 years ago

1st September

Nine p.m.

Isolated.

That's what Sakura had said to him before he lashed out at her. Her tear stricken face made him flinch before he turned and left her to his other two comrades. He could angry shouts and curses from Naruto, and he felt the glare on his back from his General, Hatake Kakashi, yet he walked on as though it had not affected him.

He wouldn't…_couldn't_ let a girl get through the walls he so carefully built around his heart, not after his parents death.

-

-

"Sakura! Are you okay?"

The blonde teen held her shoulders gently, urging the girl to tell him what had happened between the Uchiha and her. One moment he had been watching Sakura, who was talking to Sasuke when the girl said something and the Uchiha had lashed out at her. He had been utterly confused by Sasuke's behavior, it wasn't everyday you see him snap at people, especially girls.

Curse the bastard, Naruto was really tempted to knock some sense into the Uchiha's head right now.

The General's reaction was different from what Naruto expected. He had thought that Kakashi would demand to know the problem, but he merely shook his head and dismissed them, telling Naruto to bring Sakura back to her quarters. Naruto's answer was a nod and Kakashi left without another word. He needed to talk to the Uchiha about this one.

-

-

Sasuke sat cross legged on a branch in a tall tree by the river, the very same river he had met Sakura. He frowned, wondering why he remembered such a thing. He leaned back against the bark of the tree and sighed softly, thinking back on his 'fight' with the pink haired girl. It was not because of her words that bothered him, it was how well she _saw_ him that he was worried about. No one had ever said those words before, nor had anyone bothered to. They never saw what was underneath his cool façade and he never let them. So how was one girl he had just met a few weeks ago managed to do that?

"So what are you going to do about it?"

A voice that was all so familiar to the Uchiha said, as the teen glanced down to see the General leaning against the tree he was in. He returned his gaze to the sky and shrugged.

"Why did you do it?"

He remained silent. Why had he?

"If you continue like this I doubt Naruto would be forgiving…"

He snorted. "I don't really care what the dobe does."

The General's lone eye gazed lazily towards the teen on top. "Are you sure?"

Did he?

He again remained silent, contemplating his choice of answer. "Maybe."

Kakashi chuckled. The young boy was so easy to read and he didn't know it. "I would suggest talking to her about the problem, I just don't understand how you let your emotion get the best of you."

"…I don't know." He muttered, his frown deepening. "It just…happened."

Kakashi nodded, smiling behind his mask. He turned to leave, when he felt Sasuke behind him. He cocked an eyebrow, silently questioning him. He appeared to be uncomfortable about something.

"Thanks…I guess." He mumbled, barely audible.

If Kakashi was surprise he did not show it, he merely chuckled and ruffled his ward's hair like when he was young and walked off, ignoring the glare he got from the Uchiha. What he did miss, was the small smile on the teen's face after his back was turned.

-

-

She stood there, like any other nights when he was on patrol duty. Her pink locks swaying gently with the wind, and her back facing him.

He was lost at what to do.

Naruto had confronted him earlier that day, after he had returned. He took in all the shouts and yells from the blonde, gritting his teeth in annoyance, but he knew he deserved them all the same.

"Damn it apologize to her."

Naruto had said after running out of breath. Sasuke stared at him weirdly.

"What?" he asked bluntly, not believing what he heard.

"You heard me." Naruto snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "Even if she did say something to upset you, you shouldn't have snapped at her like that. I'm pretty sure she didn't mean to upset you."

Great, Naruto was being _wiser _than him. He scowled.

"I won't -"

"Don't tell me you won't!" Naruto yelled again. "It's your bloody fault she was crying this afternoon! Don't deny it!"

Sasuke winced unknowingly. Naruto's obnoxious loud voice pierced the air and his ears painfully, and by now all the occupants of the quarters were staring at them, not that they weren't already.

Naruto straightened himself after that, then grinned all of a sudden. "Because of that, you're doing patrol duty tonight."

Sasuke immediately glared at him, but it did not have the desired effect as Naruto turned and walked off, no doubt off to the showers.

-

-

He sighed, racking his hand through his black hair as he wondered how to approach her.

"Who's there?"

Her soft voice made him snap back to reality as he walked out from behind the shadows of trees. She gasped in surprise but quickly smiled at him.

"Sa-Uchiha-san." She greeted, her fake cheeriness easily detected by Sasuke.

"Sasuke." He said, making her blink.

"Eh?"

"Call me Sasuke, I'm still your comrade or teammate." He replied, and she dumbly nodded.

"Alright, Sasuke it is then." She said, and her voice sounded lighter than before. He shifted uncomfortably before her, as she stared at the ground as it was the most interesting thing.

"Listen, about this afternoon…" he started, but trailed off, not knowing what to say.

She stiffened at the mention of the incident, he noted as he remembered the words that they exchanged during their 'fight'.

-

-

"_You should stop that." Sakura had said._

"_Stop what." He replied, downing his water._

"_Being so isolated. It hurts to see you pushing everyone away when you need someone."_

_He stop drinking immediately, anger flashing in his eyes as he glared at the girl beside him. "What would you know." He snapped, screwing back the lid on the bottle._

"_I don't, but it still hurts." She said, frowning up at him._

"_So stay out of it." he said, his glare never leaving her. _

"_Sasuke…everyone needs somebody. Even someone like you." _

_He stared at her in disbelief. Here he was thinking he finally had some peace because his team did not consist of a fan girl bugging him, but now he had someone that_ thought_ she knew him?!_

"_I do NOT need your opinion on what I need or what I do not!" he hissed. Sakura did not back down._

"_Sasuke! Don't you know it'll only hurt more?" she tried to let him see the logic there, but he was already on the edge._

"_NO!" he shouted all of a sudden, startling her. He noticed his other two comrades had turned to their direction, no doubt shocked at his sudden outburst._

"_Damn it Sakura!" he yelled. "I don't __**need**__ nor do I _WANT_ someone telling me what will happen if I don't live my life like any _normal_ human would!"_

"_Sasuke…" _

"_Did you have to see your parents __**die**__ in front of you? Did you need to feel the pain of not being able to __**protect**__ them because you were too weak? Did you need to feel the pressure of being __**hidden**__ in the shadows of your elder sibling!?" he all but shouted at her, and she suddenly felt terrified of him, her tears streaming down her face as he continued to glare at her._

"_You wouldn't." he stated, as he turned and walked away, ignoring Naruto's shout and curses that were directed at him._

-

-

He scratched the back of his head nervously. He had never felt this way before, and he had never been in this position before either.

"I just wanted to say-"

"I'm sorry."

Her sudden apology stopped his words and left him staring at her. "What?"

Sakura looked away, and he continued to stare at her. "I shouldn't have…been assuming so much, about you I mean."

Damn, he wasn't expecting that.

It left him speechless, because he was the one who should be apologizing, not her.

_Emotions are not suppose to get in the way, be it in a mission or training._

He shook his head. He didn't know it, but he was showing more emotions than he had for the past 16 years of his life.

A mere girl did this to him, and he wondered if he had made a mistake to get to know her.

"Sakura, I'm sorry."

The girl looked surprised. Her mouth parted and her eyes fixed on his emotionless face.

She smiled.

-

-

Loud, irritating.

That was registered in his head as he rub his temples. That dumb blond girl was clinging onto him as though the world was going to end.

"What do you want Ino."

Her blue eyes glared slightly at the Major, seemingly unafraid of him. He glared back.

"Just asked if you could take over my Cadets again today." She smiled sweetly at him.

He wouldn't fall for it again. Not after the last time.

"Shift your weight to your right shoulder."

So why was he here again?

Right. She blackmailed him, or tried to.

"Sakura was crying that day and I no doubt know it was you who caused it." she had said dangerously.

Like they say, hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

It was unimaginable that he, Uchiha Sasuke would cower in fear from the wrath of a woman. But sadly, he did. After all, he didn't have the energy to continue his counter.

He sighed.

Today was going to be boring, long day.

"Sasuke?"

Or maybe not.

Said teen turned to see Sakura walking up to him, and she smiled in greeting. He nodded.

"What are you doing? Aren't they Ino's charge?"

Sasuke nodded again, telling the Cadets to take a break. He turned to the girl.

"Is there anything you want?"

Sakura shook her head. "I was just walking around when I saw you."

They stood next to each other in a comfortable silence, neither saying anything nor needed to. Soon she left, bidding him a good day and Sasuke felt his mood had lighten considerably. At least he wasn't glaring at the poor Cadets now.

-

-

They met every night, right beside the river of their first meeting. It became a normal schedule with no arrangements. He would go for patrol duty, and she would be sitting by the river, as though waiting for him.

No one questioned his sudden willingness to take on patrol duty, and no one was about to, for they did not want to face the possibility of the Uchiha dumping the duty on them. They did not suspect that the once emotionless Major was meeting someone during that time, but Naruto noticed the sudden change of attitude in his best friend.

He grinned.

The ice block was melting, and a girl was doing this.

Haruno Sakura, cherry blossom of spring. Her laughter lit up the gloomiest room and eased tension.

For once he was glad that Sasuke was retrieving the most attention from girls, especially when it did much to change him.

"What does the future hold for them I wonder…" the blond boy mused, smiling as he watched his best friend and the medic talk under the afternoon sun.

* * *

_After that day I spoke to her, I began to understand more things. _

_We make our own luck, by our actions and state of mind. As such you control your own fate. Only one thing is certain, none of us can escape the grave._

_But then again, death was far from my mind. She brought meaning into it, and the walls I had carefully built up were being torn down, by her._

_And somehow, I found out, I didn't mind too much._

* * *

**A/N: **I thought of stopping it here, but then the present for them wouldn't be complete, as I left it hanging at where Tsunade lets Sasuke choose something. And I thought I could end it with two chapters...sorry guys looks like there'll be more waiting...I guess it turned out to be more of a chapter fanfic now...gah...

**Sasuke: **I feel so...

**Sakura: **Preechy?

**Sasuke: **((glare))

**Dark: **((giggle)) I love those lines!!

**Sasuke: **Whatever.

**Sakura:** Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **Thank you so much for those who reviewed!! Really love you guys for supporting this, and thank you Shadow-chan for coming up with this idea!! Can't tell you how I enjoy writing this fic even though I update it slow...xD_

_Hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! It's not gonna have the 2 years ago story anymore! It's time for the present to be unfold!! hahaha!!_

_Naruto no belong to me.  
_

* * *

**Military**

**Chapter 3**

Getting a higher ranking.

When he was younger, that was all he could think of.

Go further, fly higher.

Anything to beat his elder brother who shadowed him.

-

-

Emotions were useless.

Pride of the Uchiha Clan was what kept him going.

Nothing would change that, _nothing_.

That's what he told his mother.

-

-

Her hazel eyes scanned the document she held as the teen in front of her remained emotionless. Her hand held a document of his profile which proved his excellent skills on battle field, but he did break the most important rule in the military and was to be given a fair punishment.

"Yes, to choose."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Between what? Tsunade-sama."

She glanced at Kakashi before turning her attention towards the young Uchiha. She doubted that he would disagree to these choices, after all, it would determine his future in the military.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you can either choose to end your relationship with Haruno Sakura, or risk not being promoted, ever."

Kakashi shook his head, thinking that Sasuke would never risk his position over a girl, much less one he used to ignore, or so he thought. Sasuke breath out what seemed like a breath of relief, for when he look at the Marshal, he was smirking.

"I'll take the risk. I'm staying with Sakura."

Tsunade nearly fell from her chair when he answered that, and Kakashi was rendered speechless. He glanced frantically from Tsunade, who was trying to clam herself down, to the young Uchiha who had been his ward since young.

"Sasuke…" he started, trying to reason with him. "Your ranks…"

Sasuke just gave him a blank look, his eyes were like the first time Kakashi saw them, devoid of emotion. But there and then, he knew that inside, Sasuke was actually…happy. He suddenly took a walk down memory lane after seeing those eyes, remembering the first time Sasuke was assigned to him after the Uchiha family was moved to another location.

"_I'm gonna make it to the top, even if it kills me!"_

His onyx eyes remained unchanged as his mentor tried to stare him down. The Uchiha was not budging from his decision, and Kakashi didn't feel like seeing his best student getting left behind by the rest, not when he had climbed up so high.

"Sasuke, please reconsider…"

The said boy merely closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, he faced the Marshal.

"I…joined the army in the beginning, to get a higher rank than my brother so that my father would acknowledge me." He started, getting both their attention.

"But now, I don't intend to get a higher rank than my brother, father or ancestors if I have to sacrifice my relationship with her. Having a relationship with Sakura only motivates me to keep surviving to protect her, the team, and the country."

His reply surprised the other superior, both were aware of his intentions of joining the military in the beginning, but neither suspected this change over a young girl.

"_I'll keep climbing to the top." A young Sasuke said to Kakashi and Tsunade. "Even if no one sees me, I'll bring myself to the top and protect my country!"_

_Tsunade smiled at the enthusiasm of the young boy. "Yes, I believe you'll make it."_

"_That's why I decided, Tsunade-sama." Sasuke said, looking the Marshal in the eye._

"_I'll throw away my emotions, just to make it to the top. I'll sacrifice anything, even my life to make it there. Not only for the sake of protecting my country, but to beat my brother."_

_He said that, even after his parents died. He really did throw away his emotions. He did not mourn for them, but he walked forward, beating his brother was all that matters now._

"So beating your brother had no meaning anymore?" Tsunade questioned silently, waiting for the reply.

"You'll be left behind Sasuke…" Kakashi tried again, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke gave him a small smile, and shook his head. "I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei. I don't care. Not when Sakura is involve."

Tsunade sighed, massaging his temples. "Very well, you have made your decision, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded, not intending to back out from his words.

"I hereby declare Uchiha Sasuke to be strip from any promotions in the future, and his relationship with the medic Haruno Sakura to be able to proceed. However, it should be kept subtle in public. Do you understand?"

Sasuke saluted, nodding a little. "Yes madam."

-

-

Sakura paced nervously at the meeting place of their team. Naruto was sitting on a tree nearby, acting as look out for Sasuke or Kakashi. The girl couldn't stop glancing up every time she heard something.

"Are they here yet Naruto?"

The past two hours had been similar to hell for Sakura. The pastel haired girl didn't know whether to be relief or worried that she wasn't called together with Sasuke. She didn't know what to feel right now. Sasuke only said he was going to meet with the Marshal, but when Kakashi followed him, she instantly knew something was wrong. That lead her to Naruto, who spilled everything.

"I heard someone told the Marshal about your relationship."

Damn.

That was the first word that crossed her mind. Mind you, Sakura wasn't the type to curse, but she knew this would be a very terrifying ordeal, whether towards Sasuke or her. The worst that could happen was that Sasuke would be stripped of his rank and be banned from ever meeting her again.

That would mean she would be removed from their team and probably sent off to another base. Sasuke would hate her, Kakashi would despise her for pulling his best student down and Naruto would just downright ignore her.

"Sakura-chan?"

Yes, those stuff would probably happen. But Naruto ignoring her might be going a little too far…then again, Naruto didn't actually say anything after finding out about their relationship, she could even swear he was kinda happy…

"Sakura-chan…"

Ohh…how could it had gotten so bad?

Maybe she should have kept the chain Sasuke gave her in a more discreet place, or maybe she shouldn't have even agreed to the relationship, or maybe…

"SAKURA-CHAN!!"

"WHAA!!"

Sakura fell down on her butt, blinking twice before realizing that Naruto was waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hellllooo…Sakura-chan, you okay?"

The girl just nodded, before standing up with the help of the blind boy. "I just wanted to say, Sasuke and Kakashi are coming."

Oh my god.

Sakura immediately started to panic. Sasuke was gonna be so mad when he saw her, no doubt about that. She backed away slowly, before running off in the opposite direction. Sasuke wouldn't chase her…right?

Right.

"Sakura-chan? Hey! Sasuke-teme is here! Sakura-chan!!"

She spared a glance behind to see Sasuke standing beside Naruto, apparently stunned that she took off. What she didn't noticed was that Sasuke was smirking. So she thought he was mad?

He took off without a backward glance.

And she was wrong about him not chasing her.

-

-

"Why do you support him?"

Naruto looked behind to see his mentor, feeling a bit sorry for him, he shrugged. He didn't really understand, but he knew that Sasuke was like a brother to him, and that he was happy to see him happy.

"Sakura-chan seems to be the happiest when she's with him, and I say it's the same for him."

Kakashi sighed, leaning against the tree. "He was stripped from any further promotions."

Oh, so that was the price to be paid.

Naruto always knew of Sasuke's ambition. It was more of a race to them, both were aiming for the highest rank, Marshal. Now that he was stripped from promotions, will he still get to the top?

Yes. Believe it.

The blond grinned. "Sasuke-teme will find a way to rise to the top Kakashi-sensei, you better believe it."

-

-

Her legs carried her all the way to the river of their first meeting. She gasped for air as she collapsed beside the water, tears streaming down her face. Sasuke had just stood there, watching her go.

He was really mad, but she shouldn't really be bothered now. After all, Tsunade-sama might be arranging her transfer right this moment.

Or not.

"Boo."

The girl nearly screamed and fell into the water had the culprit not been fast enough to catch her. He smiled at her as she had her eyes shut, praying for God to have mercy on her and not let her touch the ice cold water beneath her.

"Sakura."

Okay, ice cold water sounds very inviting, like **now**.

"Are you okay?"

Huh?

Sakura opened her jade green eyes and stared at Sasuke. He was still smiling softly, the look he always gave her when they were alone.

"S-Sasuke…?"

He chuckled. That was a good sign.

"Yeah kid, it's me."

Sakura smiled, her tears no longer falling. She tackled him to the ground, not minding the cold snow below. Sasuke patted her head softly, assuring her that it was okay.

Until he heard a snicker behind him.

"Teme…Kakashi gave us a day off."

Sasuke and Sakura looked up to see Naruto standing above them, grinning like a maniac.

"I'll wait for you at the top, teme. Make sure you reach there no matter what it takes."

Sasuke smirked. "Aa…you better…"

"Believe it? Will do, Lieutenant Colonel." Naruto mocked salute and walked off, leaving them alone again.

"Sasuke?"

Said teen turned to his girlfriend, did he do something wrong? She sure looked like she was gonna cry again.

"Yeah kid?"

Sakura pouted, he loved to call her 'kid', even if he was only older by a year.

Wait, if she were to count, he had many nicknames for her, and her, him. But that's not the point now.

"What did Naruto mean?"

Oh. Busted.

He didn't want her to find out the price he paid for staying with her. She'd probably just blame herself and wallow in guilt. He did not want that. But…

"Uchiha Sasuke, I demand you tell me what he meant, **now.**"

Once again, hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

"I…w-was…"

Great, now he was stuttering. Way to go Uchiha Sasuke.

"Was?"

"...Banned from any further promotions in the future."

Bam, here it comes.

"WHAT!?"

He winced, lying on snow really helped. He tried to focus on the cold instead of her guilt in her eyes. No such luck. She brought him up by his scarf around his neck.

"Why!? Sasuke! You were suppose to climb to the** top**!! How can you do that if you're banned from further promotions!? It's my fault isn't it? I caused this! I'm gonna march up to Tsunade-sama and say the relationship is **over**! Wait, did she banned you from meeting me too? Am I getting transferred?! Oh god, is this my _last time_ seeing you!? Is it…"

She really couldn't finish her rambling. Uchiha Sasuke was not one for anyone's shouting, not even his girlfriend. So he did what he saw was the best when their faces were only an inch away.

He kissed her.

-

-

Kurenai placed the files down on the table after going through them. The room was full of tension, as the other higher ups were also done browsing through the documents.

"But Tsunade-sama, how can they have done this?"

Tsunade clenched her fist. "I don't know. Being the maniac he is, he probably thought that these…_creatures _were the best army he could get."

Asuma scratched the back of his head. He clearly wasn't too happy about fighting these freaks. "So what do we do?"

Tsunade glanced from Asuma to Kurenai, then to Kakashi. "I will need three soldiers to lead this mission. The best you can recommend to me."

The Generals nodded, each going over their own team to see who was the best. Tsunade let the six of them discuss while she went over a plan in her head. As she was halfway through, Kakashi announced that they had decided.

Tsunade nodded at Shizune, who took a pen and paper to jot down the names.

"The candidates most suitable would be, Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade frowned. "I just banned Uchiha from any promotions, if I give him this mission and he makes it back alive…"

"Then it proves he's worth the trouble." Ibiki said. The others agreed. Even Shizune was nodding.

The blond Marshal sighed. Her underlings were such logical people, she thought sarcastically.

"You do realize that this could very well be a suicide mission." She said carefully. "It very well ends these three of their future if they fail this mission."

Anko smirked. "Right. Even if they did fail, I doubt they would die on battlefield."

The six of them merely chuckled. Tsunade let a smile graced her lips. "You're right. I don't think they'll die, but they definitely will make it back."

"Hyuuga Neji made Lieutenant Colonel at the age of seventeen, just like Uchiha Sasuke, while Nara Shikamaru made Colonel this year for his brilliant strategy plans." Shizune stated, going over their profiles.

Tsunade nodded. "There's no going back now. We have to stop these creatures before they reach the border. These three will lead this mission to eliminate the enemies once and for all."

Everyone immediately started jotting down strategies and soldiers that would be best assigned under this mission.

"The main source, would be Orochimaru. If they manage to take out his army, they are to proceed to infiltrate the main base and wipe it out. Should they fail, they are to retreat, no matter what the circumstances."

"Then what about us?" Gai questioned. "Shouldn't we be the ones sent out?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Generals will remain here, and arrange the defenses should the team fail this mission. We will eliminate all that reaches here."

"The foul creatures and poor souls should be put to rest, not to be toyed with."

The foul creatures named Chimeras.

* * *

_It was when I saw her crying that I knew she really cared for me. Not for my looks, ranks or even my name. Just me._

_I knew then that I had made the right choice by taking the risk and staying with her. I don't think I would be able to stand not being with her after that day._

_But happiness don't always last. Duty always comes before anything else, including emotions. _

_My duty is to protect my country, even if I have to sacrifice my life for it. I know this and have always been ready for it, for protecting the country also meant protecting **her**._

* * *

**dark: **well...I seem to be doing okay...I hope. 

**Sasuke:** ... ...

**dark: **What? You're not happy you kissed her?

**Sasuke:** ...Shut up. I sound so...cheesy at the ending.

**dark:** Awww...you're blushing!

**Sasuke:** ((glare))

**Sakura:** It's okay Sasuke-kun! ((hugz))

**Sasuke: **((blushes like a tomato))

**dark:** Errr...yeah...OKAY! Review please!! I really love reviews...don't we all:p


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Waaaaaaaahhhh...I finished the rewrite for this chapter! I'm so freakin happy! (the only downside is I'm suppose to be studying now...) Alrighty then, this is the real last chapter. Some parts might be similiar, but hey, I tried to make it better. Please review!!! I'm **deleting** the chapter that I rewrote, err...review again? xD_

_And I must say, the chimeras are not from **FMA/Full Metal Alchemist**, it's from **Resistance:Fall of Man fo Ps3**. I might not have made them...sound correctly and stuff, but I tried! xD Enjoy this last chapter for **Military!**!_

* * *

**Military**

**Chapter 4 **

Fight for honor.

Fight for your life.

Fight for your country.

-

-

He was reluctant on accepting the mission.

He didn't want to leave _her_.

But he had his duty.

And he knew; it was always duty before anything else.

Especially **emotions**.

-

-

Fear.

That was all that occupied her mind.

Haruno Sakura was scared. Scared of loosing someone precious to her. She had lost enough in her life, she thinks. Her parents, her friends, even her cat. She came to the military, given a chance for a fresh start. She thought she could be strong now, strong enough to protect what was dear to her.

How utterly depressing it was when she couldn't follow the one she loved to battle.

Her level wasn't high enough. Not yet.

Tsunade had assigned higher ranking medics to accompany Sasuke's team.

Sasuke forbade her from following him.

Bastard.

She would have protested when he said that, but he was called to the Marshal's office almost immediately after that.

"_Don't follow me."_

Those were the only words he told her.

She let the tears in her eyes drop, freezing on her face. It stung, but it was just a small pain. It would not compare to the pain of loosing someone important.

The river was frozen as it was winter. White was the only thing you could see no matter where you turn. Sakura hated the cold, but she hated being weak more. She let out a sigh, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. Sitting on the ground without a coat was clearly stupid, but she couldn't bring herself to bother. Not now.

"Kami…"

She bit her lip, not wanting anymore tears to fall. She would fail again.

"I can't even protect what's dear to me…"

Burying her face into her hands, she started to cry. She didn't realize a presence behind the boulder where she stood, carrying a sorrowful look on his face. His blue eyes silently bidding his friend a farewell, before walking away.

-

-

"So it's basically not a plan, is it?"

Everyone sweat dropped but nodded. Indeed, just going to the check point and shooting any chimeras they saw was…not counted as a battle plan.

Shikamaru sighed. "There's not much we can do. We don't really know what they're capable of, so I can't formulate a proper plan."

Sasuke nodded. "Right. So we think up of one on the battlefield?"

"That's the best we can do right now." Tsunade said, scribbling something down. "We're only sending you as an advance team to buy time."

"How utterly bitter, isn't it?" Neji questioned. "We're sacrifices?"

Tsunade glared at him. "As much as I hate using my soldiers as tools, I have no choice. We need time."

Everyone in the room went silent. It was awkward. They just needed to buy time, retreat and help out the main base. But there was no need to question the obvious, many would not return from this mission.

"We will return."

All eyes landed on the Uchiha. He seemed confident and somehow, his words held so much determination that it calmed everyone's nerves. Tsunade smiled.

Naruto was right. The young Uchiha was going to make it to the top, despite the challenges ahead.

"You're right. I expect everyone single one of you to be back here after this mission,**alive**."

-

-

Sakura still sat by the river of their first meeting, reminiscing all that had passed. The cold winter wind bit her skin, but she ignored it. She wanted to remember it all, before he had to leave.

"Oi."

She lifted her head slowly and found herself gazing into a pair of deep, dark eyes. She smiled softly.

"Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded in response, draping his jacket around her. "You're gonna catch a cold."

He didn't realize that she had been sitting out here for a while. He settled down beside her, touching her hands. They were as cold as ice.

"…How long have you been out here?"

His tone held concern, but also a hint of annoyance. What was she thinking, sitting in the cold without proper clothing?

"A couple of hours I suppose…" she replied, cuddling into the warmth of his jacket.

He sighed, taking both her hands into his. He rubbed her hands and blew on it, willing some warmth back to her hands. She blushed, but otherwise said nothing. After repeating his actions for a few minutes, he leaned back against the boulder behind them.

"…I'm leaving soon."

Sakura nodded hesitantly. It hurt her to know she would not follow him to battle this time, like all the times when they were a team. Naruto was going too, and she would be left to stare at their backs.

Sasuke observed his girlfriend silently, wishing she would be more talkative for once. It was uncomfortable, the silence. Most of the time, Sakura would be doing the talking. At times, he would try to tune her out and earned another earful of scolding, but now he wished she would talk.

"…You'll come back…" she voiced, making him turn to her. "…right?"

He looked surprised at her sorrowful expression, tears were threatening to fall from her jade green eyes. His expression soften, and he nodded.

"Aa…of course."

She leaned up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sasuke pulled her closer to him, running a hand through her soft pink hair.

"_I'll definitely come back…no matter what it takes."_

-

-

A week had gone by since Sasuke's team was dispatched.

All the soldiers were on high alert, tensed and waiting. There had been no report from the advance team sent out, and that worried Tsunade. It wasn't how they planned it.

"It's worrying me…" she muttered, rubbing her temples. They were supposed to have submitted a report on how they were holding up three days ago.

Kakashi sat in front of her, frowning. The preparations at the base was complete, and they were suppose to be expecting Sasuke's team back any day, but without any report, they couldn't be certain what had happened.

"Marshal…" Kakashi said, catching the blond's attention. "Perhaps it's time to send out a search and rescue team…" he suggested.

The Marshal frowned. "I don't know about that…it would be risky, if the chimeras suddenly appear."

Kakashi nodded, but he would not back down. "Please just allow me to take a few soldiers out there to search. It could be that they're stranded…"

"…I know."

"Then grant me the permission Marshal!" Kakashi exclaimed, shocking Tsunade. He had never showed this side of him before. He was always cool and collected, never one to show his temper no matter what the situation. But, Tsunade knows that he is also human, and his concern for his underlings were touching, not that she would admit it.

"Very well." She said. "I'll issue a-"

"Tsunade-sama!"

Her door burst open before she completed her sentence, and the two occupants in the room turned to see who had interrupted their discussion.

"Please…allow me to follow Kakashi-sensei…"

Sakura stood there, holding the door open. Her eyes held determination and Tsunade sighed because she knew Sakura was stubborn. She would pester her until she was allowed to go out with the search and rescue team. Forbidding her from following Sasuke worked only because Sasuke himself told her not to follow. She shook her head slightly, many were willing to place themselves in danger for the sake of others they love.

"Alright already!" Tsuande said, throwing her hands up. "One week, that's all I'll give. You guys better be back by then."

Sakura smiled happily while Kakashi chuckled. They both saluted. "Yes Madam!"

-

-

"Fuck."

Sasuke lay beneath a pile of rubble, silently reloading his guns while listening for anything that moved around him. Things had not worked out the way they expected it to. Shikamaru thought he could come up with an effective plan as soon as they saw what their enemies were capable of, but apparently he was wrong. Dead wrong.

"Sasuke, where-"

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke hissed, trying to concentrate when he saw something moved from the corner of his eyes. He held his breath when he saw a Howler, which were something like wolves on steroids. He would have muttered a string of curses had he not been afraid that the creature would hear him.

He waited patiently until the Howler made its way pass him, before rolling out from his hiding place and started shooting the back of the creature. Unfortunately, it did not kill it but rather angered it. It hissed and darted towards Sasuke, who slid out a knife from his back pocket and brought it down on the creature's head.

"Stupid chimeras…" Sasuke muttered, wincing when he pulled out his knife. Apparently, the Howler managed to strike his arm before it went down, so Sasuke now had a problem.

"Dobe."

"…What? And I'm not a dobe!"

Sasuke sighed. "Whatever. I need the medical kit, who's got it?"

He could picture Naruto looking around and scratching his head before giving a long sigh. "I think Shikamaru has it, have you tried contacting him?"

"No shit dobe, all I get is static from those three."

Naruto went silent. They were the only five remaining out of the twenty soldiers dispatched. The chimeras showed no mercy and slaughtered their comrades before they even had a chance to know what was happening.

"I'll try to locate Shikamaru." Naruto responded. "Maybe you can try finding Neji or Sai."

The Uchiha nodded, but remembered that he was communicating through the ear piece and that Naruto could not see him. "Aa, we'll try to meet up somewhere then."

"Roger that!"

Sasuke turned his head to glance at his surroundings. The chimeras had stopped at their post, meaning they had succeeded in the first part of the mission, which was to buy time for their main base to be prepared for battle. But they failed the second part, which was to eliminate their enemies once and for all.

Oh how Sasuke hated failure.

Then again, he mused, he was already part failure since he had allowed his emotions to run. "And I was supposed to be _emotionless_…" he chuckled.

Snapping out of it, he walked around cautiously and quietly, making sure he didn't attract any unwanted attention. All five of them had been separated since the third day of the mission, in which by then they were the only five left. Shikamaru had suggested they head back to base, and that since they were separated, they had no choice but to communicate via radio.

Which lead him to hate static, because static meant there were problems, and Sasuke hated problems. If he were to list the things he hated down, he would need the all the time in the world, but that really isn't the issue right now.

Unfortunately, while he was deep in thought, he failed to notice a Menial coming from behind him, dragging one of those blasted explosives.

He was stupid to be caught off guard, no doubt.

Sasuke was hit before he had any chance to parry the attack, and the creature started chewing on his arm. He swore loudly and tried to pull his hand loose from the creature's sharp teeth, but he only manage in tearing more skin and letting more blood flow out.

"DAMN!" he shouted, taking out his shotgun, he pointed it at its brain before pressing the trigger. The Menial went dead, but its razor fangs were still imbedded into Sasuke's arm.

"Fuck them and their stupid head…only knowing how to bite…" Sasuke muttered angrily while he tried to pry the dead creature off his arm. Little did he know, biting was not all that the creature does. It apparently took a liking to explosives, and the one he was dragging around was one of those timer ones, which was slowly ticking...

-

-

Troublesome.

That was all he said, when he noticed he had lost contact with his teammates. Sighing, he mentally calculated the estimated time they needed to escape and head back to base. The only problem now was that he was alone, without them.

"Ah…I guess I'll need to think of something else then…"

He sighed, staying alive was such a troublesome job.

Despite that, Shikamaru picked himself up, dusting away the sand and dirt from his uniform. He had been in battle a few minutes ago, thankfully not injured. He was slightly thankful that the chimeras weren't smart. Otherwise, it would be harder to deal with them when you're alone.

"Tch…" he tapped his communicator on his ear, getting static again. "Troublesome…I should have brought the ones I made instead…"

He checked his surroundings, making sure there were no chimeras in sight before sitting down and opening his pack. His shotgun, a rifle, first aid kit and some water. He needed to find the others fast, they would run out of supplies soon, and would need to restock.

"Why can't someone just find me instead of the other way around?"

And, as if Fate decided to give him just that, an explosion was heard behind him. His eyes widened, before ducking behind a bush. He stared through the leaves, wondering what happened. Seeing a flash of yellow, he chuckled to himself.

"Ahhhh!!" Someone yelled. "That freakin hurt, dattebayo!!!"

Gun shots could be heard after that, and a loud hissing before everything calmed. Shikamaru stood up, walking over to where he heard the yelling was.

"Naruto?"

Said blonde glanced from the corpse of the creature to the lazy genius. He grinned. "Hey! I was looking for you!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "So was I."

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head before wincing. He brought his hand to his face and frowned. There was a fairly large amount of blood on it. Then again, why wouldn't there be? He _did_ fly a few hundred feet maybe and crash into a pile of something because of the damn explosive thingy that Menial or something was dragging around.

A roll of bandage was held in front of Naruto when he noticed. "Oh…" he grabbed it and hastily wrapped it around his head. He was getting a little light headed. "Thanks Shikamaru."

The genius nodded, waiting for Naruto to finish his treatment before turning to the matter at hand. "Can your communicator work? Somehow all I get is static…"

Naruto nodded. "Sasuke needed the first aid kit, I think he got injured a little more than usual, or he wouldn't ask for it."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to reply, but sounds of continuos hissing caught their attention. They both stared at each other, before noticing a lot of ugly creatures of different shape and sizes closing in on the area they were standing in. Naruto sweat dropped.

"Hey Shikamaru…you don't think…?"

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Tch…it's so troublesome…yes, they were attracted to the sound the blast made…"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Well then, let's get outta here, shall we?"

The lazy genius couldn't have had a better plan himself.

-

-

Onyx eyes blinked tiredly, trying his best to stay awake. He tried to move, but his muscles ached and he suppressed a groan.

What happened?

Oh yeah, that explosive the Menial was carrying, it was a timer bomb. Joy. It blew up when he was within ten feet of the damn thing. Why did that creature carry such a dangerous thing?

Sasuke snorted. Right, it was stupid. And _he_ had to pay for its stupidity.

He rolled onto his back, staring at the sun, which was high in the sky right now, the heat seeping into his uniform. He was covered in wounds, he imagines, wondering how he managed to survive the blast.

Ah…the chimera's body was a suitable shield. Thank the gods.

He grimaced when he remembered the body flying apart from the impact of the blast, splattering him with more blood. Not just the creature's blood, but his own as well. Sighing and gritting his teeth in pain, he forced himself to crawl towards what looked to be a tree to support himself in standing.

When he was propped up against the tree, he reached up to his ear to check if his communicator was still there.

It was.

He tapped on it slowly, for his fingers felt stiff. He heard some noises, before feeling the relief of hearing someone's voice.

"…Uchiha?"

Sasuke grunted. "Hyuuga…"

His voice was hoarse, probably due to lack of water. How long had he been out?

"I heard a blast about ten minutes ago, was it you?"

Sasuke smirked. "I think so. I don't know how long I've been out."

He could practically see Neji's smirk now. "I see. Don't die yet, there are people waiting."

The Uchiha chuckled. "Aa, same to you."

"Have you seen-"

His voice was drowned out by gun shots. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit.

"Hyuuga?!"

"Damn…No, just damn- Sai!"

Sasuke just stood his ground, holding his breath as he listened to the battle on the other side. He assumed that Sai was with Neji, since he did call out to him. A chimera must have ambushed them. Before he could voice out another word, the connection was cut. He cursed.

"Sasuke?!"

Sasuke shook his head a bit, immediately regretting it when a wave of dizziness hit him. "Wha…dobe?"

"Sasuke! Where in seven hells are you!?"

Sasuke blinked. "…By a tree."

"…"

"Moron. I can't even tell which way is where, how am I suppose to give you a location?"

He heard another voice. "Troublesome, but it is true."

"You found Shikamaru?"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah! He's got the first aid kit, so we're trying to locate you right now."

Sasuke grunted. "Neji and Sai were ambushed I think, since the connection was cut off."

"Eh?! Where are they?"

"Not with me…"

"…Right. Well, try to stay alive won't cha? I don't wanna drag your dead ass back to base and get hanged by Sakura-chan for not keeping you alive."

"…Shut up."

Naruto laughed again. "Oh, by the way Sasuke, if you were near any explosion or blast that had loud noises, I suggest you start fleeing." Shikamaru said, taking the ear piece from Naruto. "It attracts them, the sound."

Slowly, Sasuke began to notice the amount of shadows around him. "…No shit."

"…I said it too late, didn't I?"

Sasuke slipped the machine gun from his back to his hands. Despite the pain his body felt, he stood straight, eyeing the creatures closing in on him. "Aa…they're here."

He tried to look for a way out, if there was any. It seemed like the creatures already sensed him, for they were coming faster now.

"Shit."

Shikamaru swore. "Sasuke, make as much noise as you can. Naruto and I will try to get to you as soon as possible." He paused. "It shouldn't be too far, since we're still in the area where the post was set up."

Sasuke could only get out the words 'okay' before the first chimera flung itself at him, and he started firing. The weaker ones died when he shot their front, but the more evolved ones kept coming at him. And then he noticed to his right, a Titan coming at him.

"Oh hell…"

He barely had time to duck before the Titan swung his arm at him, hitting and smashing the tree that Sasuke had used for a support. He cursed again, after seeing the damage the Titan could do and took out his rifle that hung behind him by his belt. It was amazing how his weapons were still intact after all the damage he went through.

Almost dropping his rifle, he managed to stuff it into the creature's mouth before firing, blowing its brain to pieces. Eww…

But Sasuke had no time to think about that, he quickly turned and unhook a grenade, throwing it to the middle of the chimeras. Then he ran, as fast as he could before the blast came. He was still within the damage range and was blown a few ten feet, landing on rough dirt.

"Ow…fuck…" he swore, pushing himself up. He knew this was the only mission where he cursed a lot. Ah well, whatever gets him through it, right?

As he struggle to stand up, a velvet box fell from his pocket, and he took a second to remember what it held plus the reason he bought it.

-

-

_It had been a year since they got together, Sasuke and Sakura were walking the streets of town on their rare day off. He smiled slightly when he saw her happily skipping down the road, stopping occasionally to stare into the windows of the shops._

"_Oh!"_

_He followed her line of sight and saw what had caught her attention. _

_The jewelry store._

_His sharp eyes however, noticed a particular ring that she let her eyes rest on. It was a plain silver ring, with a blood red ruby on top if it. Plain, yet elegant, Sasuke mused. It glimmered in the sunlight and Sakura thought it was the most beautiful ring she saw. She smiled and eventually turns away, resuming her walk down the road, humming to herself._

_Sasuke lingered behind, looking at the ring. He planned to buy the ring as an engagement ring for her, one day._

-

-

After that little memory, Sasuke got up, despite how tired and wounded he was. His eyes held newfound determination as he turned to face the remaining chimeras that were coming towards him.

"…_You'll come back…" she voiced, making him turn to her. "…right?"_

Sakura was waiting.

She was waiting for_ him_.

He smirked, pulling out the machine gun with one hand, and holding his shotgun in the other. He gave out a battle cry, launching into the battle, firing his enemies and making sure they stayed down and dead.

"_Aa…of course."_

No matter what, he would survive.

He would return.

And he would ask Sakura to marry him.

-

-

Kakashi's face scrunched up in disgust as he walked through the corpse of the dead chimeras. The bodies were decaying now, and they left a horrible stench in the air. The heat of the sun was not helping either.

He swears he even sees bits and pieces of bodies everywhere.

The search and rescue team had reached the post ten minutes ago, and they had set off to find any survivors. They were moving in pairs, in case of any ambush. He was currently walking around with Sakura, who looked more anxious to find Sasuke than disgusted at her surroundings.

Bodies of their dead comrades were also found, some missing limbs but otherwise still very much recognizable. At some point, he was happy that Sasuke and Naruto weren't among those bodies, even though it was cruel of him to think like that, he was still glad there was hope that they were alive.

"Get down!"

Kakashi and Sakura turned to the voice in surprised and was soon tackled to the ground, before gun shots were heard. Shikamaru was the one who tackled them, and he sat up after regaining his breath.

"Oh…Kakashi, Sakura."

Naruto came up from behind, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Eh? Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naruto!" Both of them exclaimed, before the younger one launched herself at him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank god you're alive!" she exclaimed, her hands clutching his uniform tightly. Naruto patted her back awkwardly, while Shikamaru reported to Kakashi on their situation.

"Sasuke is currently somewhere, since we were supposed to locate him. I haven't manage to contact Neji but-"

"General!"

Kakashi held up his hand, signaling for Shikamaru to stop. He spoke into the ear piece. "Yes?"

"We found him sir! Uchiha Sasuke. He seems unconscious, but he needs medical attention right away!"

Sakura was by Kakashi's side in an instant. "Where is he!?"

"…We're by the rubble of what used to be the office or something…just west of where we arrived."

"I'm on my way." Sakura said firmly. She looked at Kakashi, silently asking his approval. He nodded.

"Naruto, follow Sakura. It's safer to move in pairs now." Naruto grinned, taking off with Sakura, despite his wounds.

Shikamaru sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I guess it's time to hunt for Neji and Sai?"

Kakashi smiled behind that mask of his. "Of course."

Staying alive was troublesome, but Shikamaru decided it was worth it after all.

-

-

White.

How long had it been since he woke up to white ceiling? Possibly around more than two weeks, Sasuke decided. His eyes were half open, his vision blurring and his eyes hurt due to the sunlight pouring into the room.

He's alive.

He registers that fact and sat up, ignoring the searing pain in his whole body. Sasuke just wanted to see her. Now.

A choking sound catches his attention, and he turns to the left.

"…Baka."

And he knows that someone is holding him tight now, crying, because he feels the front of his shirt getting damp. He smiled softly, stroking her hair as he tried to decipher the words she was saying. His shirt muffled her words, but eventually he gets it.

"I'm fine…Sakura…"

She didn't reply, merely cried somemore. After a while however, Sasuke was struck with a thought. He glanced around the room for his uniform, and finds it in the chair beside him. He loosens his hold on the girl for a while as he rummaged through the pockets, searching frantically for the velvet box he knows is there.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side, clearly confused as she wiped the trail of tears from her face.

"Just a sec, gaki."

She pouted at the nickname, but was curious at what Sasuke was doing. She was even more confused when he pulled out a velvet box, slightly damaged.

He cleared his throat, staring her straight in the eyes.

"Sakura."

She could sense the nervousness in his voice, and was confused_. The_ Uchiha Sasuke, **nervous**?

"If I could, I'd kneel, but I suppose I can't, cause my leg is numb right now…"

No way.

Sakura could feel the heat rushing to her face and her heartbeat speeding up as Sasuke struggled for words to say.

"So I guess I have to sit and ask but…" Sasuke coughed, trying to push down the nervousness he felt. In attempts to calm down his nerves, he failed to notice Sakura's face getting redder and redder by the second.

"Haruno Sakura." He finally said. "Will you marry me?"

Sakura sat there, speechless. Inside, she was bursting with happiness, but on the outside, she was just surprise he asked her, much less now when they were going to war soon.

Whatever, she thought.

Before she could open her mouth to reply though, a loud crash was heard. Almost the whole military unit were on the ground of the doorway, groaning and complaining at each other to get off. Apparently, they had been eavesdropping outside, but leaned too much on the door, thus resulting in the crashing.

Kakashi swears he sees twitching in his pupil's eyes. "Yo." He says casually.

"K-Kakashi-sensei…Naruto…everyone!" Sakura is clearly shock and embarrassed, thogh there was nothing to be embarrassed of.

Before anything happened again though, Naruto grinned cheekily. "Sakura-chan! Hurry up and answer Sasuke-teme!"

Sakura turned back to Sasuke, who never took his eyes off her. She smiled happily and tackled him, mindful of his wounds.

"Baka! Of course I'll marry you!"

The 'crowd' burst into applause and cat whistles after her reply, making the couple laugh. Sasuke slipped the ring onto her finger, catching her lips in a passionate kiss in front of everyone, which earned them more cat whistles and cheers.

"So…" Kakashi said, after the cheering had died down and snapping everyone's attention to him. "When are we gonna see little Uchihas running around?"

Oops. Kakashi tends to forget, no testing the temper of a certain Uchiha...

Needless to say, Kakashi was going to be absent from his job as General for a very, very long time, courtesy of a certain fuming, and embarrassed Uchiha Sasuke.

Did I meantion Kakashi was warded right beside Sasuke?

Yep, he would be absent for a while.

_-END-_

* * *

_**dark: **I hope this battle scene and stuff is better than the previous one... (took it down already tho)_

_**Sasuke:** ...Okay so it might be a little better..._

_**dark:** ... ... I spent two hours on this._

_**Sasuke: **Hn._

_**dark:** And I was listening to Avenge Sevenfold: MIA all the time...ahhh..the inspiration...xD_

_**Sakura: **Hehe...Thanks for the proposing dark!_

_**dark:** Yo...CrAzY-SiLLy-Me's idea, so we thank her ye?_

_**Sakura: **Yep! And thank you reviewers, so much for sticking with us through this story!! See ya around soon!_

_**dark: **((goes off to study)) Reviewwww!! xD ((glomps Shadow-chan)) _


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